The present invention relates generally to cloud computing and, more particularly, to improving and preferably maximizing the return on investment (ROI) in a hybrid cloud environment.
Cloud computing is widely used. Cloud computing includes computing on public cloud, private cloud, and hybrid cloud. There are several ways to utilize multiple cloud computing environments. One way is to introduce an abstraction layer to integrate the management points of multiple clouds. One stop portal is provided on this abstraction layer. As a result, the user does not need to use multiple clouds properly. Another way involves migration of workload among multiple clouds. When a workload exceeds the threshold in one cloud, the workload is migrated to another cloud. This function maintains the SLA (Service Level Agreement) of each workload.
There are problems with the current approaches of utilizing multiple cloud computing environments. In the near future, most of the enterprises may utilize both public cloud and private cloud. From the enterprise perspective, the cost structure between private cloud and public cloud is different. Private cloud is owned as assets by the enterprise. Public cloud is used as a pay-as-you-go resource. To maximize the ROI (Return on Investment), the enterprise should recognize these differences in its utilization of private and public clouds.
The current approaches do not provide a standpoint on how an enterprise can maximize the ROI for IT investment in utilizing hybrid clouds. For example, US2011/0231899 discloses systems and methods for one or more cloud computing abstraction layers. The user can plan cloud-computing services, build a cloud-computing service, publish the cloud-computing service for consumption by users, or run the cloud-computing service. Access to disparate public or private cloud-computing resources is through a common interface. Although the reference relates to multiple clouds, it does not distinguish between public cloud and private cloud and does not provide a way to maximize the ROI.
US2011/0145439 provides technology neutral process integration (Cloud Resource Planning), and optimization methodology leveraging a business meta-schema format Cloud Data Interchange (CDI) to integrate, enable, and invoke Cloud services. It provides an abstraction or resource planning layer. The customer does not have to have knowledge or choose different Cloud types and/or understand or choose each underlying service. As such, it provides a one stop portal. Again, although the reference relates to multiple clouds, it does not distinguish between public cloud and private cloud and does not provide a way to maximize the ROI.
US2011/0145413 and U.S. Pat. No. 8,037,187 provide a solution for resource sharing within a cloud-computing environment. One objective is to better utilize idle public or private Cloud infrastructures and improve the availability of Cloud services by allowing different Cloud service providers to virtually combine their services and infrastructures. In the event that there is not enough capacity for a single Cloud service provider to manage its workload, the workload may be shifted to additional infrastructures within the Cloud. Although the reference relates to multiple clouds, it does not distinguish between public cloud and private cloud and does not provide a way to maximize the ROI.
US2011/0145392 provides a solution for enabling the dynamic provisioning (migration) of Cloud-based jobs and resources. Each movement scenario is assigned a specific technique based on rules, profiles, SLA, and/or other such criteria and agreements. Such dynamic adjustments may be especially advantageous in order to balance real-time workload to avoid over-provisioning, to manage Cloud performance, to attain a more efficient or cost-effective execution environment, to off-load a Cloud or specific Cloud resources for maintenance/service, and the like. Coupled devices appear to end-users as a single pool of resources. Again, although the reference relates to multiple clouds, it does not distinguish between public cloud and private cloud and does not provide a way to maximize the ROI.
US2011/0016214 relates to brokering service for computer resources. The brokering services system can aggregate resources for multiple cloud service providers and act as an advocate for or a guarantor of the SLA associated with the workload. A method of providing a brokering for compute resources includes identifying resource capabilities (configuration), receiving a request for compute resources and selecting compute resources, and monitoring workload. The reference does not distinguish between public cloud and private cloud.